Gap puts its jeans through the wringer and creates new favorites for everyone

Listening to Gap's creative team rhapsodize about denim—the clothing giant's quintessential item—brings to mind Neil Diamond's ballad "Forever in Blue Jeans." As they assemble for a group shot for ELLE—their bottoms a sea of cloud, indigo, and sky—one is reminded of the unmatchable sexiness of a white T-shirt and your favorite pair, and of the inherently American devil-may-care attitude that comes with wearing great jeans. The company's existing line of blues, 1969 (a tribute to the year the clothier opened its doors, offering just Levi's and vinyl records), gets a makeover for fall, its six classic styles having been reimagined by Executive Vice President of Design Patrick Robinson and his team of denim specialists. But instead of mining the brand's sizable archives and storied advertising campaigns, Robinson took to the streets. "I started paying attention only to jeans when walking around New York," Robinson says. "I realized denim is what people wear when they want to be the best version of themselves. You wear it to a cool cocktail party or on a first date." The idea that such a universal item can be so personal is one Robinson and his team meditated on for about a year. The result? All the special elements you get from the big designer brands, but for only $30–$69. (Ordering for a 3,100-store empire gets you a discount.)

More From ELLE

Mainstay Gap styles—such as the Long and Lean and Perfect Boot Cut—shed their dowdy silhouettes and return as leg-slimming, backside-lifting machines. Each season, a few trend-driven cuts will be introduced; this fall it's the Boyfriend Crop (holes, baggy, rolled cuffs) and the Riding Skinny (high-waisted and impeccably narrow). "We see hip girls buying the Boyfriend or the Rider and styling them, making them their own," says Women's Denim Designer Marianne Gallagher, who remembers being a teen in Eugene, Oregon, and working at Gap in town. "We were extremely detail-oriented with making a better fit," adds Vice President of Women's Design Iheoma Onyeije, "whether it was an 1/8" adjustment to a top stitch, a wash, or placement of a back pocket." They even hired an outside consultant, who conducted experiments in a lab in Mexico, finding the best temperature to bake jeans for a good dark wash (300ºF), what type of whisker makes the most realistic thigh creases, and what denim best binds to the body. "When we conducted tests with women—friends, strangers, and even staff members—you know the first thing all of them did? They turned around and looked at their butt!" Robinson says. And so for the first time, each style is tailored to flatter a different body type and has a unique wash. "Everyone will find their cut," Robinson says. "This isn't the Patrick show; it's about real people, it's about basics that enhance personal style. That's what the Gap has always been about."